Very Special Episodes

Mykal Riley’s name isn’t mentioned alongside Stephen Curry or Larry Bird. But neither of those guys can say they hit a three-pointer that literally saved thousands of lives.

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VERY SPECIAL CREDITS
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English
Written by Dave Roos
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Original Music by Elise McCo...

Sopranos creator David Chase wrote an episode of The Wonder Years that was deemed too intense for network television. The internet says it's because the script involved hard core drug use. But we asked the legendary TV writer, and the truth is a whole lot stranger. 

Thanks to Nicole Lambert of Chase Films for making today's interview happen!

Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English
Written by Katie Mattie

The Harlem Globetrotters always beat the Washington Generals. It's just what they do. As of 1971, they’d done it 2,495 times. But for one gloriously confusing night that January, the underdogs got to raise their hands in victory. Today on Very Special Episodes, the untold story of the greatest upset in sports history.

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Very Special Thanks to Israel Gutierrez for lending his voice, and Peter Coughter for production suppo...

In 1973, NASA gifted a piece of the moon to a teenage astronomy fan, inadvertently pulling him into the seedy underground moonrock trade.

Hello VSE friends! We published a new episode on Monday, so we're playing a rerun in our regular Wednesday slot. 'Operation Lunar Eclipse' is one of our early favorites and originally ran in February 2024. Questions or comments? You can reach us at veryspecialepisodes@gmail.com.  

See ...

Happy Cinco de Mayo! To celebrate, Zaron Burnett is here with a mini-episode about the frozen treat that is quietly and quickly taking over the world. 

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Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English
Written by Dave Roos
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington
Mixing and Mastering by Jonathan Washington
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Original Music by Elise McCoy

When two of the most influential figures in film become the personal hostages of Kim Jong Il, they have two objectives: to elevate North Korean cinema on the world stage, and to plot their daring escape. 

SOURCES + FURTHER READING/LISTENING/VIEWING

A Kim Jong-Il Production, by Paul Fisher
The Observant, by Ravi Mangla
Michelle Cho, assistant professor, University of Toronto
"Are You There Godzilla? It's Me, Kim Jong I...

Velvalee Dickinson ran a doll shop on Madison Avenue that catered to wealthy collectors. But in one of the strangest espionage cases of World War II, Dickinson's clients had no idea she was using correspondence about doll orders to transmit coded U.S. military intelligence to the Japanese.

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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Joe Pompeo
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by J...

On a cold day in 1973, a crowd gathered on a farm for one of history's strangest funerals. It was an elite group, including the Governor of Michigan, bank presidents, and local dignitaries. Even Walter Cronkite sent a correspondent. But they weren’t mourning anyone human. No, this was a pizza-based catastrophe. 

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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Bess Lovejoy
Produced by Josh Fis...

When he published The Great Gatsby 100 years ago this week, F. Scott Fitzgerald thought he'd written the Great American Novel. But it was a commercial flop. The year Fitzgerald died, he received a royalty check for a paltry seven copies. It would take an unlikely series of events to posthumously pluck a masterpiece from obscurity.

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Very special thanks to Molly Guptill Manning. Go check out When Books Went to War.

Hosted by Da...

Gene Fleming and his pet goose Andy made headlines around the world. They brought out the best in the people of Hastings, Nebraska. But amid all this attention, Andy also brought out the worst. And three decades later, Andy's legacy is still reverberating around their hometown.

Note: This episode includes the murder of a beloved goose. 

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Very Special thanks to Jessica Korgie for sharing her family's story with us.

Hosted by D...

On August 26, 1965, LBJ issued a surprise executive order eliminating marriage as grounds for deferment from the Vietnam draft. The announcement set off a panic across the country. The problem was, nearly every state required blood tests or a waiting period — every state, that is, except Nevada. If you could somehow convince someone to marry you, get to Nevada, and get hitched before midnight, you'd be in the clear. Whic...

During its first 50 seasons, Saturday Night Live has welcomed legendary actors, superstar athletes, and notable politicians. But for one memorable night in 1977, Lorne Michaels turned the show over to an 80-year-old amateur. 

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Special thanks to Connie Crawford for sharing her story. And thanks to the great Bill Carter for stopping by! You can read more of his work at LateNighter, or check out his many classic books.

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Hosted ...

Mark Roberts is the world's most notorious streaker. He’s spent more time naked than most Greek statues. And in February 2004, he set his sights on the Super Bowl. To make streaking history, he just needs to dodge the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, SWAT teams, and 250-pound linebackers.

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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Jake Rossen
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and So...

Do you have a small fortune parked in your basement?

Six decades ago, Hot Wheels were America’s hottest new toy. Now the children of the ‘60s are fueling a small but mighty collectors' market. Cars that originally sold for under a dollar now command five figures. Today we meet some of the hobby's most prolific figures and find out what cars they're still chasing. 

VERY SPECIAL CREDITS
Today's episode was produce...

While leafing through 75 years of local newspapers, Zaron Burnett uncovers an American Christmas tradition as ingrained in our culture as the red-and-white Santa: sneaking up to a nativity scene and stealing the Baby Jesus. And, in many cases, immediately regretting it.

Note: Please do not steal Baby Jesus.

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VERY SPECIAL CREDITS
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Zaron Burnett
Produced by...

Who's the artificial Christmas tree king? Meet Si Spiegel, a Jewish kid from New York with a remarkable, improbable Christmas story. Si's story was first brought to light by Laurie Gwen Shapiro in her 2021 New York Times feature, "He Bombed the Nazis, Outwitted the Soviets, and Modernized Christmas."

Laurie Gwen Shapiro kindly shared her extensive notes for this episode. Her next book, The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, G...

Stuffed crust pizza. Grilled cheese burritos. How did so much cheese get into so many things? On today's episode, we peel back the curtain on the Dairy Industrial Complex — AKA Big Parma. 

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VERY SPECIAL CREDITS
On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Follow Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday. 

Today’s Epis...

In 1987, long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a glimmer in Stan Lee's eye, Marvel promised a different kind of blockbuster: Spider-Man and Mary Jane would get married. Not just in the comics — in front of 51,000 screaming fans at Shea Stadium. And those fans were not happy about it.

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VERY SPECIAL CREDITS
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Jake Rossen
Produced by Josh Fisher
Ed...